The United Nations has temporarily suspended its emergency ship evacuation programme through the Strait of Hormuz after a Singapore-flagged container ship was hit by a projectile off the coast of Oman, disrupting efforts to move hundreds of stranded vessels and thousands of seafarers through one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) said it paused the operation after receiving reports that a vessel had been attacked shortly after passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Although the ship was not part of the UN-led evacuation programme, the incident prompted the agency to review whether the safety measures put in place for commercial shipping remain sufficient.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said a cargo ship reported a suspected attack while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday.
The vessel was struck on its starboard side by a projectile about 7.5 nautical miles (14 km) southeast of Oman’s Port of Dahit.
British maritime security company Ambrey said its initial assessment indicated the incident was an attack.
A maritime security source told Reuters the vessel was likely hit by a drone, although it is not yet known who carried out the strike.
British maritime risk management company Vanguard and three maritime security sources identified the vessel as the Singapore-flagged container ship Ever Lovely, owned by Taiwan-based Evergreen.
According to UKMTO, the projectile damaged the ship’s bridge but caused no injuries or pollution. Authorities are investigating the incident and have advised ships in the area to remain cautious.
A U.S. official said Iran was responsible for the attack, adding that the ship was hit by a drone launched by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Iran has not commented on the allegation, and the claim has not been independently verified. The IMO confirmed that Ever Lovely was not sailing under its evacuation programme.
“I have been informed of an attack today in the Gulf of Oman on a vessel which passed through the Strait of Hormuz. This vessel did not transit under IMO’s evacuation framework,” IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said.
He said the agency had decided to temporarily pause the programme “to reconfirm that the necessary safety guarantees continue to be in place for the ships on our evacuation list and all those in the region.”
The evacuation programme began on Tuesday after the IMO secured safety assurances from the countries involved. It gave stranded commercial vessels two voluntary routes out of the Gulf, one through Iranian waters and another through Omani waters under U.S. oversight.
Initial IMO data showed that 57 ships carrying around 1,100 seafarers had used the programme between June 23 and the morning of June 25.
The initiative was designed to help about 600 ships carrying an estimated 11,000 mariners that had been stranded after the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed when the conflict began in late February.
Hours before the reported attack, Iran warned ships not to use routes through the Strait of Hormuz unless they had Tehran’s approval.
Ambrey said the IRGC ordered two Panama-flagged ships to change course earlier on Thursday.
After the incident, Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) said vessels using routes not approved by Iran would not be covered by its guarantee of safe passage.
The authority said any consequences of using unauthorised routes would be the responsibility of the vessel’s owner, operator and master.
The IRGC also called the alternative shipping route set up by Oman and the IMO “unacceptable and completely dangerous”, saying vessels using routes outside those designated by Iran would be considered in violation.
Before the incident, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that any attempt by Iran to threaten or block shipping through the Strait of Hormuz would create serious problems.
The evacuation programme was launched after the United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding last week aimed at advancing talks to end the conflict.
The two countries are continuing discussions on issues including freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and the future of Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile.
Commercial shipping has slowly started moving through the Strait again, but traffic remains below normal levels.
MarineTraffic recorded 70 verified commercial and energy vessel crossings on Wednesday and 31 on Tuesday, compared with around 120 crossings a day before the conflict.
The ship-tracking company said operators are still moving cautiously instead of returning to normal sailing patterns.
Oman’s Defence Ministry said the evacuation will take place in phases because the current security situation has increased the risk of collisions and requires ships to move in a controlled manner.
Denmark has also announced it will join an international maritime mission led by France and the United Kingdom to help reopen the waterway.
The IMO has not said when the evacuation programme will resume. Authorities are continuing to investigate the attack, while commercial ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz have been advised to remain on high alert.
References: Al Jazeera, The Hindu
